Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
Division of Energy Assistance/OCS/ACF

LIHEAP Household Report for FY 2001

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THIS CONTAINS INFORMATION ISSUED BY THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND
FAMILIES IN LIHEAP ACTION TRANSMITTAL NO. LIHEAP-AT-2001-07, DATED 7/8/2001


TO:               LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LIHEAP) GRANTEES
                  AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES

SUBJECT:          LIHEAP Household Report for FY 2001

RELATED           Sections 2605(c)(1)(G) and 2610(b) of the Low Income Home Energy
REFERENCES:       Assistance Act of 1981 (title XXVI of Public Law 97-35, the
                  Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, as amended); 45
                  Code of Federal Regulations, Part 96; House Report 103-483
                  and Senate Report 103-251; LIHEAP-AT-2000-5, dated 5/1/01;
                  OMB Control No. 0970-0060 (Expiration Date- October 31,
                  2003)

PURPOSE:          To remind LIHEAP grantees to include the LIHEAP Household
                  Report for FY 2001 as part of their state LIHEAP grant
                  applications for FY 2002.

BACKGROUND:       Under the Amendments to the LIHEAP statute enacted in 1994
                  (Public Law 103-252), LIHEAP grant applications must include
                  a report for the previous year on households applying for
                  and assisted by LIHEAP.

                  OMB approved in June 1997 the use of the LIHEAP Household
                  Report to collect the household data with the following
                  conditions:

                      ACF is to allow grantees flexibility to determine the
                      format in which to submit reports.

                      ACF may define terms as specified in the information
                      collection instructions.

CONTENT:          The following reporting requirements pertain to the LIHEAP
                  Household Report:

                      The 50 States, the District of Columbia, and insular
                      areas that receive regular LIHEAP block grant
                      allocations of $200,000 or more (e.g., the Commonwealth
                      of Puerto Rico) must submit the required data elements
                      contained in (1) the Recommended Long Format for LIHEAP
                      Assisted Households and (2) the Recommended Format for
                      LIHEAP Applicant Households.  The required (mandatory)
                      data elements include for each type of LIHEAP assistance
                      provided by the grantees:  the number and income levels
                      of applicant and assisted households, and the number of
                      assisted households with one or more members who were
                      elderly, disabled, or a young child.  The requested
                      (voluntary) data include a break out of young children
                      into two age categories.

                      The Recommended Long Format for LIHEAP Assisted
                      Households includes a section on "Requested Data" that
                      lists a break out of young child into two age
                      categories.  The House and Senate Committee reports
                      concerning the 1994 reauthorization of LIHEAP requested
                      this break out.  However, submission of these data are
                      optional.

                      Indian tribes and tribal organizations and the insular
                      areas that receive regular LIHEAP block grant
                      allocations of less than $200,000 must submit only the
                      data element contained in the Recommended Short Format
                      for LIHEAP Assisted Households.  The required data
                      include the number of assisted households for each type
                      of LIHEAP assistance provided by the grantees.

                      A grant award will not be made until the LIHEAP
                      Household Report for the previous fiscal year is
                      received.

                      Estimated (rather than actual) LIHEAP household data
                      will be accepted with the LIHEAP grant application so as
                      not to delay the awarding of first-quarter LIHEAP grants
                      for the following fiscal year.  An insular area or
                      Indian tribe or tribal organization that submits
                      estimated data will receive half of its allotment for
                      the fiscal year when its application is determined to be
                      complete (providing sufficient appropriations are made
                      available).

                      Grantees are encouraged to submit actual household data
                      by December 2001. Actual data are needed for use in the
                      Department's LIHEAP Annual Report to Congress for FY
                      2000.

                  Report Format

                  Attached are the recommended formats for the LIHEAP
                  Household Report.  Grantees can report the data elements in
                  a different format as long as the attached instructions are
                  followed.  It is very important that all grantees understand
                  the attached detailed instructions for reporting the data.

                  An Excel 97 spreadsheet of the recommended formats for the
                  LIHEAP Household Report can be e-mailed to your office.  The
                  spreadsheet also is available for down loading on the LIHEAP
                  web site at: www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/liheap/forms.htm#HHRE
                  PORT

                  We prefer that the States to use the electronic spreadsheet
                  if at all possible.  The spreadsheet contains formulas that
                  assist in compiling accurate tabulations.  Also, the use of
                  the spreadsheet expedites the processing and editing of the
                  data.

                  Reporting Pointers

                  Your attention to the points below will minimize our need to
                  contact you for clarification of your State's reported data.
                  This will enhance our timeliness to compile and report the
                  data.

                      Please include on your report the name, title, and
                      telephone number of the person to be contacted if we
                      need to clarify information in your LIHEAP Household
                      Report.

                      The data are to reflect the reporting period for Federal
                      Fiscal Year (FFY) 2001 (October 1, 2000 - September 30,
                      2001).

                      Count all households assisted only with federal LIHEAP
                      funds regardless of whether the source of funds was
                      regular block grant funds, emergency contingency funds,
                      LIHEAP carryover funds, leveraging incentive funds, or
                      Petroleum Violation Escrow funds.  If other households
                      are served through your LIHEAP program with nonfederal 
                      funds, you may include in the "notes" section of the
                      report information about the source of nonfederal funds,
                      the number of households served, and what type of
                      assistance the households received through the
                      nonfederal funds.

                      Gross household incomes are to be used in computing
                      household poverty percentages, using the HHS Poverty
                      Guidelines that were in effect at the beginning of FFY
                      2001.  Specifically, the calculation of household
                      poverty percentages need to be based on the 2000 poverty
                      income guidelines issued by HHS (LIHEAP-IM-01-16, dated
                      3/30/01, www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/liheap/im01-16.htm).

                      Household poverty levels must be reported according to
                      the intervals specified in the recommended formats.

                      The sum of the number of assisted households contained
                      within each poverty level must equal the total number of
                      assisted households for each type of assistance
                      provided.

                      The sum of the number of applicant households contained
                      within each poverty level, and, if used, the column
                      "Income data unavailable," must equal the total number
                      of applicant households for each type of assistance
                      provided.

                      The count of applicant households includes the number of
                      households that apply for LIHEAP assistance, whether or
                      not they actually receive LIHEAP assistance.  Therefore,
                      the count includes the number of approved, denied, and
                      pending applications for LIHEAP assistance.

                      The data on target groups (elderly, disabled, or young
                      children) are household counts, not person counts or
                      head of household counts.

                      If an assisted household has one child less than two
                      years old and another child between three years through
                      five years, count that household under each of the
                      requested data items if you elect to report the data.
                      However, count that household once under the required
                      data element of age five years or under (see attachment,
                      EXAMPLE--COUNTING TARGET GROUP HOUSEHOLDS).

                      Mark "x" in the second column of the Recommended Long
                      Format for LIHEAP Assisted Households and Applicant
                      Households if any data are estimates as opposed to
                      actual counts for the type of assistance provided.

                      Include complete data for households receiving LIHEAP
                      weatherization assistance even if the funds were used
                      under the Department of Energy's Low Income
                      Weatherization Assistance Program.

INQUIRIES TO:     Katina Lawson
                  Division of Energy Assistance
                  Office of Community Services
                  Administration for Children and Families/HHS
                  370 L'Enfant Promenade, S.W.
                  Washington, D.C.  20447

                  202-401-6527 (Voice)
                  202-401-5661 (Fax)
                  klawson@acf.dhhs.gov (E-mail)
                  www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/liheap (LIHEAP Web site)


ATTACHMENTS:      (A) Instructions for Completing the LIHEAP Household Report/Word 97 (51k)
                  (B) FY 2001 LIHEAP Household Report - Recommended Long
                      Format for LIHEAP Assisted Households and Applicant  Households
                  (C) FY 2001 LIHEAP Household Report - Recommended Short
                      Format for LIHEAP Assisted Households
                  (D) EXAMPLE--Counting Target Group Households




                      _______________/s______________
                      Linda M. Hill
                      Acting Director
                      Division of Energy Assistance

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